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J. B. DUFF.

Cutting Soap.

AM. PHDTO-LITHO.C0.N.Y. (USBEIRNE'S PROCESS.)

Patehted Aug. 23, 1853.

ICE.

JAMES B. DUFF, OF NEW YORK, N, Y.

SOAP-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,953, dated August 28, 1858.

T0 at! whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JAMES B. DUFF, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Methods of Cutting Soap; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a plan or birds eye view of the machine for cuttmg the soap into slabs and bars. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinal section of the same as it appears when in operation. Fig. 3, is a vertical transverse section of that part of the machine which cuts the soap into slabs.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists, 1st, in the employment of a traversing slatted bed or carriage having a hinged head piece or follower in combination with a series of vertical and horizontal yielding wire cutters. One end of each of the vertical cut ters, which cut the soap into slabs, being secured to a horizontal rod underneath the slatted bed and the other end carried underneath another horizontal rod also underneath the said bed and then up through the slatted bed and through a horizontal cross piece above it and over a roller at the top of the frame and then having a weight attached to it. And one end of each of the horizontal wire cutters which trim off the top and bottom of the lump of soap is secured to one side of the frame of the machine, and the other end is carried entirely across the bed and through the opposite side of the frame and over a pulley and then weighted. The object of thus securing the wires and attaching weights to their ends, is that when the soap is fed up to the wire cutters they may be allowed to yield and form a loop while cutting the soap, and thereby cut it perfectly smooth and straight for it is found that if the wire cutters are kept taut and in rigid contact with a thick lump or cake of soap they are caused to have a wavy, zigzag or tremulous motion and consequently they cut the soap uneven and also cause greater resistance as the soap is forced up against them by the traversmg carriage.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the frame of that part of the machine which performs the operation of cutting the lump of soap into slabs and trims off its top and bottom smooth and prepares it for being cut into bars. This frame is secured on rollers a, a, a, a, and is moved from one part of the room to another wherever the soap to be out into bars may be situate. On top of the frame a traveling slatted carriage B, is placed in the manner shown in Figs. 1, and 8. This carriage is composed of slats Z), between every two of which a space is formed. The bottom edges of the side pieces of this carriage are grooved so as to fit over the tongues on the top of the sides of the frame A, and allow of the carriage moving freely hack and forth.

C, is a rack on the bottom of the bed B, into which a pinion D, works as the cogged gearing E, and F, is set in motion by the crank G, and consequently moves the bed B, to the right and left. On the front end of the bed B, is arranged a folding hinged follower H, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Against this follower the soap is placed when laid on the bed. This follower can be folded in case the lump is too long to be put in while it is unfolded, and then again opened and pressed up against the soap.

In the center of the frame A, another frame I, is constructed in the manner shown in Fig. 2. In the top of this frame a roller 0, is hung, over which the weighted ends of the wire cutters (Z, cl, are passed as seen in Fig. 2. From this roller they pass through the cross piece 6, and then down through the spaces in the slatted bed and underneath the rod f, to the rod 9, to which they are secured fast as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These vertical wire cutters d, cl, are seen clearly in Fig. 3, and their operation clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, they being shown as passing through the soap and bent in the form of a loop, the red lines showing the position of the wire cutter and its weighted end before commencing the operation.

By having the cutters arranged so as to be capable of yielding and forming a loop in passing through the soap-the operation of cutting it into slabs is rendered more easy and the work is done in a far superior manner than it is when the Wire cutters are set so as to be held rigidly in contact with the soap.

h, h, represent the two horizontal cutters which pass transversely across the machine, one serving to take off a thin slice from the bottom and theother from the top of the lump of soap and thereby smooth and square off the top and bottom of the slabs as shown in Fig. 3. These wire cutters h, h, have weights 1', 2', on one of their ends and consequently they are allowed to yield and form a loop in passing through the soap and therefore will cut it straight.

This machine has been found by practical experiment to answer the purpose of cutting lump soap into slabs admirably and by far slatted bed or any other equivalent device for feeding and forcing the soap up to the said yielding wire knives the whole being constructed and arranged and operating essentially as herein described.

J. B. DUFF. Vitnesses:

S. H. lVALEs, R. V. FENWIOK. 

